This Friday's Friday Post

Happy Friday my criminal justice system colleagues!

This Friday finds me in a rather good mood, not only because it is Friday and this weekend I am taking my Scouts on a group camp with 'Around the World in 80 Days' as the theme, but also because I have had a really friendly week.

I have travelled to different Courts and seen and caught up with old friends who I haven't seen for a long while. I am always pleasantly surprised when I visit a Court centre that I haven't been to for a while, when people are just a friendly and lovely as when I was there last. There is rarely a loss of familiarity or camaraderie just smiles, greetings, catchups and coffee.

I have also noticed, with an increasingly idiot grin, that the days are getting considerably longer. This has been particularly noticeable in the mornings. Last Sunday I set out for my usual 7am Sunday run (read chatty trot!) and as I left the house with my running light strapped to my chest I realised it was fully light (I took the light anyway - gotta look the part)!!

My morning commutes into Manchester are far more pleasant in drizzly daylight rather than drizzly dawn half light. I am also getting home in the light and am feeling energized and positive. This may be the longer days, the fact that I am finally getting fitter or the fact that I have had a few decent nights sleep! Whatever the cause I am loving it.

There has been a generally positive vibe around the Courts I have attended this week. The advocates rooms have been bustling and the prevailing sounds have been of laughter and conversations have a cheerful tone. Court staff have been commenting on the positive feeling and I have even had some very friendly chats with some Judges. I have had lovely chats with colleagues and former colleagues all of which were overwhelmingly positive.

Maybe spring is having a regenerative effect on the bonhomie of the CJS.

It's nice to think that in our technologically driven world of screens, electricity, carbon footprints, computers and phones we could still be positively affected by a big shiny ball in the sky showing its face a bit longer every day.

I hope that you are all enjoying the extra light and that the positive feeling has shown itself in your life. Lets try to build momentum on this who knows, it may be that we are more solar powered than we thought.

Our professional and personal lives can become stressful, even when the world is apparently waking from it's winter slumber and the days are getting longer it can be easy to miss the positivity as we get caught out by the landslide of little crises that add up to an avalanche of stress.

From me to you, try to remember that yes, it may be an avalanche, but you have ridden it out. You have got through a week and as much as it may be small consolation the sun is out. The days are getting longer and there are a lot of people around you who will help deflect the next avalanche should it come.

Have a great weekend, re-charge those solar batteries, and lets smash next week with some laughs, a few cuppas and a few biscuits. Lets work hard and laugh hard. Whatever we tackle, lets tackle it together.

To all of those attending the Women in Criminal Law ball this evening, have a great time and be fabulous!

See you all next week

Lots of love

Damian